Akiva's Blog

         "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -George Santayana. These famous words so eloquently express why we must study history. If we truly are aware of the past as it actually was, we will avoid making the same mistakes that society has made throughout human history. However, to really learn the valuable lessons of history and not repeat those mistakes, one must get history right. To distort, in any way, shape, or form, the details of historical events, is to diminish the lessons learned from history, and to therefore risk making the mistakes of the past.           As an Orthodox Jew who feels very strongly that I am part of something larger- the story  of the Jewish people- I know very well that I must be aware of what really occurred to my people throughout history and learn not to do those same things to other people today. I, along with the entire Jewish community today, have a responsibility ...

Last Wednesday, a troubled 19 year old opened fire at a Florida High School, killing 17 people and injuring many others. Families will now have to grieve for the rest of their lives for their children, kids will have to grieve for their siblings, students will have to grieve for their friends, and every single student in that school will have to live with the trauma of this terrifying atrocity. Perhaps even more upsetting and saddening is the reality that this horrific event was just one of many mass shootings in recent years. Since 1966, there have been 150 mass shootings and 1077 deaths as a result. These shootings occur anywhere from schools to churches to concerts. This terrible epidemic is unique to America; nowhere else do mass shootings occur so frequently. While the issue is undoubtedly complex due to the second amendment and the strong gun rights lobby, we must at the very least make it more difficult for anyone with a demon in his head to carry out an attack like this, by fo...